Anaerobic Digestion Technology

Development

An Overview of Anaerobic
Digestion Technology
Development
 Presentation Overview

• AD History & Status

• AD Technology Development
• AD process improvement
The History of Anaerobic Digestion
• 1st AD plant developed in 1859 in Bombay India
• The 1st Biosolids Digester in 1897, Exeter, UK
• The 1st German Biomass digester in 1906
• The 1st North American Biosolids Digester in 1954

• Initially digesters in North America was a treatment process and the

biogas was flared or used as a fuel to heat the digester

• AD processing of organics in North America started in 2001 with 2 facilities

in Ontario
 Canadian AD organics processing Status
• Municipal AD plants in operation
– Dufferin Organics Plant - Toronto
– Georgian Bluffs /Chatsworth
– Harvest Power high solids AD plant Richmond BC
– Disco Road AD plant Toronto
– Harvest Power AD plant London Ont.
• Municipal AD plants in Development
– Surrey Biofuel
– Edmonton organics AD
– CRD Biofuel
 Global Status of bio-waste AD processing
• Bio-waste AD plants in operation
– 302 in Europe
– 92 In Germany
– 13 In North America
– 6 In Canada
• Bio-waste AD plants in Development
– ?? in Europe
– ?? In Germany
– 20 In North America
– 4 In Canada
• Farm digesters in operation
– 2429 in Europe
– 1900 In Germany
– 201 In USA
– 100 In Canada
AD Technologies operating Globally
• Liquid Anaerobic Digestion
• High Solids Anaerobic Digestion
• Plug flow Anaerobic Digestion
• High Rate Anaerobic Digestion
• Micro AD
• Co -Digestion
 AD Technologies operating in Canada
• Liquid Anaerobic Digestion
• High Solids Anaerobic Digestion
Liquid Digestion
High Solids Anaerobic Digestion (HSAD)
 Micro AD
The Flexibuster is a self-contained anaerobic
digester, designed to process food and organic
waste. And suitable for food producers, retail
supply chain and hospitality installations.

Flexibuster converts waste into biogas and

generates electricity, heat and organic
fertiliser

Benefits
Income for electricity and heat
reduction in waste disposal cost.
 High Rate Digestion
The Microferm concept:
Equipment size reduction
Reduced retention time (8 to 12 days)
Rapid installation
Factory build Equipment
Installation time 2 days
Robust and reliable
Factory build and tested
High level QA/QC
Cost-benefits
Electricity and/or natural gas green energy
High quality sludge output
Organic nitrogen in the sludge
converted to mineral nitrogen
improves fertilizer value
 Digestion, Biogas and Sludge upgrade
technologies
• Disintegration Technologies Disintegration of cells
– improves biological action, increases biogas production. Decreases Biogas COD and H2S.h Decreases
sludge production. Increases sludge dewatering ability and Decreases digester retention time
• Biological Activator Improvement of Biology
– improves biological action, increases biogas production, decreases sludge production, Reduces odour

• Nutrient removal for sludge centrate

– Treats sludge centrate to municipal discharge quality, produces struvite fertilizer and ammonia
sulphate fertilizer
 Sludge Disintegration Technology
• Technology
• Technology hydrolysis organic material in a reactor by treating this material at high
temperature and pressure to disintegrate cells. After the hydrolysis the material can be
digested effectively.
• Applications
• Anaerobic Digestion
• Potential Benefits
• Higher biogas yields (15% - 40% more)
• Reduced retention time (so smaller digesters)
• Improved dewaterability (sewage sludge > 30% DS)
• efficient N&P removal from digestate water.
Sludge Disintegration Technology
 Biological Activator technology
• Applications
– Anaerobic Digestion
– Wastewater Treatment
• Operational Action
– Increases the micro-organisms’ vitality and reduces the populations of less- effective
bacteria
– Transforms nitrogen into nitrate,
– Prevents the germination or forming of bacteria that produce hydrogen sulphite
– Increases capacity of oxygen retention and eliminates oxygen requiring processes
• Potential Benefits
– Reduction in digestion retention period
– Reduction of sludge volume
– Removal of the bad odour to acceptable levels
– Pre-conditioning sludge for anaerobic phase (methane production)
– Significantly increases the biogas production
 Nutrient removal technology
• The technology removes nitrogen and phosphorous from sludge centrate water
• Applications
– Liquid manure flows
– Centrate water from fermentation of green waste
– Specific industrial waste water flows
• Potential Benefits
• Recovering of struvite (Phosphorous ) as fertilizer
– Phosphorous can be reused after being recovered from sludge, manure and
other organic waste. Phosphorous is a limited raw material. The prediction is
that phosphorous mines will be used up in the long term.
• Recovering ammonium as fertilizer
– Nitrogen is not scarce. But the production and the purification of ammonium
cost both energy. So by recovering ammonium you save energy in two places
• This technology can also be used to treat compost process leachate.
 Biogas Cleaning Technologies
• CHP biogas cleaning (Removal of H2S & other contaminants)
– Absorption in water – Trickling filter, Bio-scrubber,
– Physical – Carbon treatment,
– Chemical addition
– Membrane process
• NG quality biogas cleaning (Removal of CO2, H2S & other contaminants)
– Diaphragm Technology
– Membrane Technology
– Cryogenic Purification – Pressure and temperature treatment
 Digester Biogas Green
Energy & Environmental potential
• Green Electricity
• Natural Quality Gas
• Green Liquid fuel
• CO2 for greenhouse use
• Greenhouse gas reduction
• Green Heat recovery
• Carbon credits
• Organic fertilizer
 The Future of Anaerobic Digestion in
Canada
• The desire to do the “GREEN” thing is increasing
• Digestion maximizes value and benefit
• Digestion reduces the carbon footprint and
maximizes carbon credit potential
• Organics digestion is expected to increase
– Many municipality are considering AD
– Co–Digestion with biosolids is becoming feasible
– New, more efficient digester are under development
 Digestate Resources
• Organic Fertilizer
• Compost Fertilizer
• Ammonia Sulphate
• Struvite
 The AD - Composting Connection
• AD processes organics to harvest energy
• The digestate has significant fertilizer value
• Composting of the dewatered digestate
– enhances the fertilizer and organics value
– Pasteurizes the digestate
– Produces a class AA compost
• The combined process maximize the value and
benefit of organic resources
 Questions
Thank you for your attention.
For additional information please contact:

John H. Haanstra
Maple Reinders Group Ltd.
Email: johnh@maple.ca
Table 19. Annual Methane Production from Canadian Municipal Solid Wastes (2005).
Methane
AD1 Gasification2 Total3
(kt/yr)
NL 2.21 23.9 26.1
PE
NS 1.74 22.9 24.7
NB 2.08 25.2 27.3
QC 29.43 342.0 371.4
ON 35.19 541.4 576.6
MB 4.22 53.5 57.7
SK 2.85 44.4 47.3
AB 8.87 157.7 166.6
BC 9.59 153.2 162.8
NT
NU
YK
Canada 96.76 1,372.5 1,469.2
Annual Methane Production from Canadian Wastewaters (2006)
CH4 Production

Population1 Wastewater Production

(persons) (m3/d)2 (M m3/yr)3 (M m3/yr)4 (kt/yr)5

NL
509,677 233845 85.4 2.87 1.95

PE
138,519 63554 23.2 0.779 0.53

NS
934,405 428714 156 5.26 3.58

NB
749,168 343726 125.5 4.22 2.87

QC
7,651,531 3510599 1281 43.05 29.28

ON
12,686,952 5820900 2125 71.39 48.54

MB
1,177,765 540370 197 6.63 4.51

SK
985,386 452105 165 5.54 3.77

AB
3,375,763 1548834 565 18.99 12.92

BC
4,310,452 1977678 722 24.25 16.49

NT
Table 21. Annual Methane Production from Canadian Biosolids (2006)

Population1 Biosolids Production CH4 Production4

(persons) (kt dry/yr)2 (dry kt C/yr)3 (kt/yr)
NL 509,677 11.37 4.55 1.97
PE 138,519 3.09 1.24 0.54
NS 934,405 20.84 8.34 3.61
NB 749,168 16.71 6.68 2.90
QC 7,651,531 170.67 68.27 29.58
ON 12,686,952 282.98 113.19 49.05
MB 1,177,765 26.27 10.51 4.55
SK 985,386 21.98 8.79 3.81
AB 3,375,763 75.30 30.12 13.05
BC 4,310,452 96.15 38.46 16.67
NT 41,861 0.93 0.37 0.16
NU 30,782 0.69 0.27 0.12
YK 31,229 0.70 0.28 0.12
Canada 32,623,490 727.67 291.07 126.13
Table 22. Annual Methane Gas Generation and Capture from Canadian Landfills (2005).

Methane GHG LFG Methane Methane GHG

Generation1 Generation2 projects3 Captured3 Emitted4 Emitted2
(kt CO2
(kt CH4/yr) (kt CO2 eq/yr) Number (kt CH4/yr) (kt CH4/yr)
eq/yr)
NL 38.57 810 0 0.00 38.57 810
PE 6.69 141 0 0.00 6.69 141
NS 39.66 833 1 5.39 34.28 720
NB 43.34 910 0 0.00 43.34 910
QC 469.46 9,859 12 143.97 325.50 6,835
ON 465.17 9,769 19 126.09 339.08 7,121
MB 44.10 926 0 0.00 44.10 926
SK 43.71 918 0 0.00 43.71 918
AB 103.55 2,175 2 5.39 98.16 2,061
BC 189.60 3,982 13 27.89 161.71 3,396
NT 2.34 49 0 0.00 2.34 49
NU 0.00
YK 1.15 24 0 0.00 1.15 24
Canada 1,447.35 30,394 47 308.74 1,138.62 23,911
Table 23. Annual Potential Production of Methane from Canadian Municipal Wastes.
LFG MSW Wastewater Biosolids Total

AD Gasification Total AD Gasification

(kt/yr)
NL 38.57 2.21 23.93 26.14 1.95 1.97 94.8
PE 6.69 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.53 0.54 7.8
NS 39.66 1.74 22.93 24.67 3.58 3.61 96.2
NB 43.34 2.08 25.21 27.30 2.87 2.90 104
QC 469.46 29.43 341.97 371.40 29.28 29.58 1,271
ON 465.17 35.19 541.44 576.62 48.54 49.05 1,716
MB 44.10 4.22 53.51 57.74 4.51 4.55 169
SK 43.71 2.85 44.44 47.29 3.77 3.81 146
AB 103.55 8.87 157.70 166.57 12.92 13.05 463
BC 189.60 9.59 153.22 162.81 16.49 16.67 548
NT 2.34 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.16 0.16 2.66
NU 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.12 0.12 0.24
YK 1.15 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.12 0.12 1.39
Canada 1,447.35 96.76 1,372.47 1,469.24 124.83 126.13 4,637